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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

The Pope should retire when...

This Pope won't step down until he has died. Or, so he says. Fine. But they should have a policy in place to force Popes to retire when they become far less effective, due to a decline in health.

Some will say that this Pope is a HUGE inspiration since he soldiers on and clearly tries to give it his best shot. Others will say that he is no longer an effective communicator and despite the Vataican's attempts to make us think that he's getting better, he will never be the same again.

I would simply say that he is far less effective a communicator than he has been, and far less of a communicator than what they will look for in his replacement. What would happen if the Pope ended up like that Terry woman who is being starved to death? That they would do everything possible to keep him alive is obvious, but would they allow him to hold the position of Pope or would they retire him in favour of a new guy?http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/30/233843.php

I would imagine they already have such rules in place, but are these rules privy to only certain Vatican elite and does every rank and file member of the Catholic church know what they are?

Monday, March 28, 2005

died - Paul Hester of Crowded House fame

Drummer Paul Hester of Crowded House fame, died on Saturday, March 26, 2005, after hanging himself from a tree in Melbourne's Elsternwick Park, in Australia, at the age of 46. He was declared dead at 1:20 p.m. after attempts to revive him failed.

Hester's love life was apparently in turmoil after splitting with the mother of his two daughters, and the recentl end to the relationship with New Zealand singer Kashan.

He left Crowded House in 1994 but a November, 2004 performance with Neil and Tim Finn kindled speculation that the band would reform after 9 years. After Crowded House's breakup in 1996, Paul Hester formed Largest Living Things and released two EPs.

Crowded House, their 1986 debut, featured such hits as "Now We're Getting Somewhere", "Something So Strong", "World Where You Live" and their biggest hit, "Don't Dream It's Over" which hit # 2 on the US charts.

Temple of Low Men from 1988 was considered a darker album and was less succesful, although some fans consider it their best album. Its notable songs included "Tongue in the Mail" and "Love This Life."

1991's Woodface's best tracks include "It's Only Natural" and "Falling At Your Feet."

Together Alone from 1993 spawned "Nails in My Feet" and "Distant Sun."

Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, released in 1996, features 19 tracks including three new songs.

Crowded House were formed in 1985 after Neill Finn disolved Split Enz, after the departure of brother Tim Finn.

video: Garden State

Garden State 4/5

This understated film about soul searching, has been compared to Lost in Translation and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, both being films I enjoyed a lot.

Zach Braff plays Andrew, our hero, who returns home after a long absence at boarding school and trying it make it as an actor. He's home for his Mom's funeral. He runs into several old friends and gets reaquainted. Along the way, he runs into Sam, a single girl who ends up hanging out with him. Braff is very laid back and performs not unlike Peter Dinklage's character in The Station Agent.

Some people will definitely find the film slow. Most films have clear conflicts and resolutions, whereas this one doesn't really. I kept on waiting for the purpose of the film to make itself apparent.

Zach Braff wrote, directed and starred in Garden State, and apart from starring in the TV series Scrubs, he seems to have a future on the silver screen and behind the camera. It's not as bizarre as the brilliant Donnie Darko (director's cut) but it's an off-the-wall film that is well worth seeing.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

film: Hitch

Hitch 3/5

My expectations were exceeded by this film.

Will Smith plays the date doctor, a low-key consultant who helps guys make all the right moves on the women they are in love with.

Eva Mendes plays a NYC gossip columnist. One of her good friends gets used and quickly dumped by a smooth talker who was just looking for a quick roll in the hay. At the same time, she ends up dating a charming new guy, who she discovers is somehow tied to either young, rich, single, socialite Allegra Cole or her mysterious date.

Two stories end up crossing and you have the making of an interesting film. Here's how they could have made this film better. Instead of trying to make unrealistic goofs out of some of the characters, tone it down and make them seem more real. Such directing is the reason why the Paul Giametti character succeeded so well in Sideways whereas the Kevin James character in Hitch is entirely derivative and forgettable. They made the heiress Allegra character seem real, warts and all. She isn't the plastic, overly confident icon that we assume she is. While attractive, she isn't flawless.

film: Guess Who

Guess Who 2/5

Some folks are comparing this to Meet The Parents, the smash hit with Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. I would compare it to Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, the 1967 Sidney Poitier/ Spencer Tracy/ Katherine Hepburn film in while the daughter brings home a black guy.

Ashton Kutcher and Zoe Saldana

Black Theresa brings home her white boyfriend to attend her parent's wedding ceremony. Bernie Mac, the father, is stunned and upset that the Simon turns out to be white, yadda yadda yadda.

It's too long, Bernie Mac is only mildly funny and it's hopelessly predictable. There is too much unnecessary dialogue and too much lowest common denominator humour to give this picture anything other than artificial heart.

The Weekly Music Magazine CD sampler review - 01

The Weekly Music Magazine CD sampler review.

Every month, I read many music magazines. Several of them have sampler CDs that have both known and lesser-known artists.There’s nothing like the sense of discovery you feel when you stumble across a great song, for the first time.This column covers my sense of discovery of the tracks that made a strong impression on me.

In this first installment, I look at the sampler CD from CMJ New Music Monthly, which, curiously, isn’t a publication that you can subscribe to through Amazon.com.I’ve been a subscriber for about six years now.It’s apparently “…the first consumer magazine to include a bound-in CD sampler.”Without a doubt, the magazine covers mostly lesser-known artists, and they are to be applauded for giving exposure to some of the freshest performers in the indie and college radio world.

“The Bucket” by Kings of Leon.Bright and poppy with enough roughness to still have some indie cred.Touted by some as the southern Strokes.Read El Bicho’s Blogcritics review of Aha Shake Heartbreak.

“Drive Away” by Gratitude.The song is catchy indie rock but doesn’t sound all that distinctive.Still, well worth listening to.Craig Lyndall’s Blogcritics review is worth reading.

“And The Rest Will Follow” by …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead… - the craft in the songwriting is quickly apparent as the songs weaves teriffic melodies with the sheen-less indie sound and vocals.Not as raw and heavy as previous efforts.Are they evolving or selling out?The song absolutely begs more listens.Their 2002 album Source Tags and Codes is a much-celebrated indie gem.

"Clubfoot" by Kasabian.Explosive sounding indie rock with a more commercial beat.Intriguing sound, more dark than fun.Reminds me more of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club than anything else.

“I Close My Eyes” by Shivaree.Torchy, twangy and jazzy.Not an obvious hit but a fine mid-tempo listen.

“Bleed For You” by Hidden in Plain View.This song, inspired by two women who were rape victims and friends of the band, packs a lot of emotion and displays fine chops, but it also sounds indistinguishable from so many other bands indie rock bands.

Monday, March 21, 2005

50-caliber rifles - a hot topic

In the February 17, 2005 episode of Paula Zahn Now on CNN, a reporter showed how easy it was to find a 50-caliber rifle on the Internet (eBay) and then buy it from a private dealer, no questions asked. Buying ammunition was even easier.

Ronnie Barrett, creator of the .50-caliber rifle, defends his weaponamidst a flurry of outrage. The military-grade weapon can be soldto civilians.

Their point was that virtually anyone could purchase this gun, and the ammo, even though it was capable of downing aircraft and penetrating steel plate. Apart from long-range shooting, most people wouldn't have a requirement for such a heavy, powerful weapon. Perhaps the most disturbing fact was that the bad guys, terrorists, could aquire these weapons. The media has reported on Al-Qaeda having purchased these guns, years ago from the US.

Just this past weekend, CBS's 60 Minutes reported on a US citizen, formerly from Kosovo, who was buying 50-caliber rifles and shipping them, on board commercial aircraft, to that war-torn part of Europe.

"Fifteen years ago, Osama bin Laden sent one of his operatives to the United States to buy and bring back two-dozen .50-caliber rifles, a gun that can kill someone from over a mile away and even bring down an airplane.

In spite of all the recent efforts to curb terrorism, bin Laden could do the same thing today, because buying and shipping the world’s most powerful sniper rifle is not as difficult as you might think. "

"The gunrunner's name is Florin Krasniqi, and he is seen providing a new shipment of weapons to Albanian rebels, who are about to smuggle them over the mountains into Kosovo. After a few days' journey on horseback, the guns will end up in the hands of a guerrilla force known as the Kosovo Liberation Army, which has been fighting for independence from Serbia for nearly a decade.

Krasniqi took these guns to his family's home in Kosovo. Most of them were easy to get in Albania, but not the .50-caliber rifles. "This is, we get from the home of the brave and the land of the free, as we would like to say," says Krasniqi, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Krasniqi came to America in 1989. He was smuggled across the Mexican border in the trunk of a car with just $50 in his pocket. Today, he’s an American citizen, and the owner of a highly successful roofing business.

"This is what I do for a living," says Krasniqi. "This is how we earn the money in New York. There’s a large Albanian-American community in the New York City area."

When the war broke out in Kosovo in 1998, many of the young men volunteered to fight. Krasniqi realized he’d be more valuable raising money for the guerrilla army. Then, he started buying standard equipment at a Brooklyn Army-Navy store.

"Anything you need to run a small guerrilla army, you can buy here in America," says Krasniqi. "You have all the guns you need here to fight a war. M-16s. That's what the U.S. soldiers carry in Iraq. All the rifles which U.S. soldiers use in every war, you can buy them in a gun store or a gun show."

What gun became the weapon of choice for Krasniqi? "By far, the weapon of choice was a .50-caliber rifle," says Krasniqi. "You could kill a man from over a mile away. You can dismantle a vehicle from a mile away."

He says it can also be "very easily" used against helicopters and planes.

If the power of the .50-caliber rifle amazed Krasniqi, what amazed him even more was how easy it was to buy. Krasniqi allowed a Dutch documentary film crew to accompany him to a gun store in Pennsylvania.

"You just have to have a credit card and clear record, and you can go buy as many as you want. No questions asked," says Krasniqi.

Was he surprised at how easy it was to get it? "Not just me. Most of non-Americans were surprised at how easy it is to get a gun in heartland America," says Krasniqi. "Most of the dealers in Montana and Wyoming don’t even ask you a question. It’s just like a grocery store."

And, he says there are a variety of choices for ammunition, which is easy to get as well. "Armor-piercing bullets, tracing bullets," says Krasniqi. "[Ammunition] is easier than the rifles themselves. For the ammunition, you don't have to show a driver’s license or anything."

"You can just go into a gun show or a gun store in this country and buy a shell that will pierce armor? A civilian," asks Bradley."

"60 Minutes asked Krasniqi how he shipped .50-caliber rifles out of the United States.

"You just put in the airplane, declare them and go anywhere you want," says Krasniqi. "It's completely legal. It's a hunting rifle."

Krasniqi says he shipped the rifles to Albania, and then the soldiers carried them onto the battlefields. He wouldn’t say how many .50-caliber rifles he sent to Kosovo, so 60 Minutes asked Stacy Sullivan, a former Newsweek correspondent, who wrote a book about Krasniqi called, “Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America.”

How many guns did Krasniqi ship over there? "Probably a couple of hundred," says Sullivan. "It's easy. You're allowed to take two or three at a time. He had a group of guys that were dispersed in the U.S., some in Alaska, some in Nevada, some in California, some in Michigan, some in Illinois. And they would each buy a few at a time, and they would take them over in twos and threes on commercial airlines."

Krasniqi’s team of gunrunners never had a problem getting the guns out of the United States. But they often had to switch flights in Switzerland, and authorities there wanted to know what they were doing with such powerful weapons.

"We told them ‘We’re going to hunt elephants.’ And they said, ‘There’s no elephants in Albania,’" says Krasniqi. "And we told them we were going to Tanzania, so we had set up a hunting club here and a hunting club in Albania."

"You had to set up a phony hunting club in Albania, tell the Swiss authorities that men from this hunting club were going to go to Tanzania to shoot elephants," asks Bradley.

Even so, Krasniqi’s team needed evidence to support the African hunting story, so he says, "We had bought an elephant in Tanzania and set up the whole documentation, so it proved to them we are just elephant hunters."

He says he paid approximately $10,000 for the elephant. But he never got the elephant. "We were not interested in elephants," says Krasniqi. "We were interested to fight a desperate war." "

Florin Krasniqi supplied members of the Kosovo LiberationArmy with .50-caliber rifles.

From CBC News, January 9, 2005."California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decided there’s a weapon that’s too dangerous to be in the hands of private citizens.

This past week, a new law went into effect in California banning that weapon. It’s the .50-caliber rifle, the Rolls Royce of sniper rifles. It’s a big gun, a favorite of armies around the world, and it’s still available in 49 states in this country to anyone over 18 with a clean record. "

Florin Krasniqi immigrated to the United States from Kosovo in 1988 by sneaking across the Mexican border in the trunk of a white Cadillac. Once in America, he started his own business, fell in love, married, and bought a house. But he did not forget the country he left behind. In 1996, when one of his cousins helped start the Kosovo Liberation Army in the hope of securing Kosovo's independence, Florin chipped in to help.

Over the next two years, Florin helped direct a network of Albanian émigrés across the U.S., raising millions of dollars for the rebel force. Soon he began visiting gun shows across America and running weapons and other supplies to the rebels. All the while he was also lobbying some of Washington's most powerful politicians. Eventually he helped recruit American volunteers, some of whom left schools and colleges in the New York area to fight for a homeland they hardly knew.

Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America tells the remarkable story of how a small group of young men in Kosovo backed by a network of émigrés in the United States started a guerrilla army that lured the world's most powerful military alliance into fighting their war and changed the course of history in the Balkans forever.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

The Passion Recut

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the The Christ was recently re-released with some of the more violent scenes removed. This is precisely what I thought he could have done to the first film, and yet still have Gibson make his point.

From USA Today,March 11, 2005.

"It's called The Passion Recut, but there's actually less cutting in the movie this time around.

Mel Gibson's toned-down version of his biblical blockbuster, The Passion of the Christ, removes some of the grisliest images as Jesus is scourged, beaten and crucified. The film is being released in about 952 theaters today, in advance of Easter, March 27.

Gibson, who declined to be interviewed for this story, says on the movie's Web site that the movie is a gift for admirers who had friends or relatives who couldn't stomach the brutality of the original.

About six minutes have been eliminated.

Along with deleting some graphic shots, Recut features some new images that replace the most blood-drenched acts of torture, often by providing a distant view of action that was close-up in the original, says Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films, which distributes the film.

"There are new shots but no new sequences," he says. "(Gibson) uses different angles. When you make a movie, there are always different shots."

The two sections getting the most trimming: a scene of flagellation (which had a notable shot of a whip ripping skin) and the scene in which Jesus is nailed to the cross, says the Rev. John Bartunek, a Roman Catholic priest and friend of Gibson's who screened the revision last weekend.

"I was surprised because I was expecting only visual alterations, but there were also some audio adjustments," says Bartunek, author of the book Inside The Passion. "I wasn't aware before of how much the sound effects added to the graphic nature of the scenes."

The film is spoken in Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles, and Bartunek says Gibson also softened some of the translations as the soldiers discuss the process of crucifixion.

The Passion of the Christ became a $370-million-grossing phenomenon last year. Its unflinching depiction of torture and death on the cross distinguished it from any other film about Jesus.

Gibson and Newmarket hope to make a theatrical release an annual Easter tradition. Keeping it in theaters is especially important because its brutality makes it unlikely to play on television, says Berney.

Gibson hasn't announced whether The Passion will ever be shown on cable, and "even the cut-down version probably is not going to be on a main network," Berney says.

Bartunek says Gibson's changes haven't softened the story. "The emotional intensity hasn't been turned down. I've seen the movie about 70 times. It still made me cry."

Saturday, March 19, 2005

film - Tarnation

This is another documentary, which chronicles the lives of the 30-something filmmaker and his family’s tragic experiences with mental illness, and barbaric electro-shock therapy used on his mom.

Jonathan Caouette recounts the story of his mom and how she became a beautiful child and adult model, beginning at age 11, while watching her descent into madness from mental illness and drug abuse. At the same time, he tells his own story of growing up with a screwed up, fatherless family. It’s not pretty.

Caouette gathered up old family footage and combined it with his own to create a swirling cavalcade of family history, and jarring, disturbing, funny imagery. The naked honesty in this film is stunning. It’s all captured here, warts and all, allegations and denials, the ugliness and the unconditional love.

The film is feels overly long and at times, a tad tedious. There are some scenes with his pathetic, brain-damaged mother, that are excruciating to watch, but at the same time, no one in the film is acting. Some of the footage of Adolph and Rosemary (everyone is referred to by their first name) is straight out of Springfield and Grandpa Simpson.

There was quite an audience for Tarnation, but it is definitely not for the less adventurous. I’m really pleased that I saw it, though.http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/19/014155.php

film - Persons of Interest

Only 8 people showed up to see this 63-minute documentary on opening night, which, sadly, is commensurate with the amount of attention this story has been given by the media – almost none.

Several Arab Americans, some full citizens, some not, tell their stories about how they were picked up by the police, questioned and thrown into detention, sometimes for over a year.

We are shown footage of John Ashcroft, then US Attorney General, saying that they will arrest terrorist suspects as they are caught violating laws of any kind. He makes reference to Bobby Kennedy and how he wanted members of the Mob arrested even if they were caught spitting on the sidewalk, as a deterrent.

The filmmakers noted that the authorities won’t reveal how many people were detained after 9/11, but estimates that figure to be about 5,000. And, they make the point that none of these persons have been charged to date, although some have been deported. It comes at no surprise that Arab people would get rounded up after breaking any legal infraction, after 9/11, such as failing to stop at a red light, but it’s disturbing to see how many of these people languished away without charges being laid.

There is little narration, but the statements made by the victims and their families are powerful enough. This is as low-budget as documentaries come, but the filmmakers have definitely made their point without being Michael Moore preachey. Too bad so few people will see this film.http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/19/015449.php

film - Bad Education

Bad Education 4.5/5

This is a refreshing, “story within a story” film that is compelling to watch, even with the sub-titles. It features a knock out performance by Gael Garcia Bernal, last seen in The Motorcycle Diaries as the Ernesto Guevara.

Our main character, Ignacio shows up at the offices of couple of filmmakers, one of them being Enrique, an old friend and his first lover, from about 16 years earlier, when they were on the cusp of puberty. He presents his old friend with a screen play that touches on their upbringing in the Catholic school, complete with creepy priest principal, who was also naughty in a way that you can imagine.

The acting throughout the film is excellent. The story within the story is engrossing. There’s blackmail and deceit and you can’t help but watch closely, right to the end.

Written and directed by Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar, Bad Education (La Mala educación) is the best film that I have seen since Million Dollar Baby and it’s getting good reviews. Depending on how prudish you are, though, you may be put off by the same–sex flavour.http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/19/020123.php